


Kiss with a Fist

by ThatPilotGirl



Category: Bridgerton (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boxing, F/M, MMA technically, alice mondrich is a good friend, coach anthony, gym owner will mondrich, i had too much fun coming up with everyones boxing names, i just really like the boxing scene ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:54:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28979952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatPilotGirl/pseuds/ThatPilotGirl
Summary: Daphne "The Diamond" Bridgerton has been slugging people since the third grade when Nigel Berbrooke tried to kiss her at reccess (though with a family like hers it may have been inevitable.) Years later, she is finally making her UFC debute with a  fight against Cressida "The Spy" Cowper. Scant weeks before the fight, the return of Simon "The Duke" Hastings throws the fighting world into a frenzy. And speaking of frenzy...there seems to be a lot of noise coming from the locker rooms at Mondrich's gym.AKA i don't know where I'm going with this but Daphne gets to punch people
Relationships: Simon Basset/Daphne Bridgerton
Comments: 23
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> No ownership, all credit to Quinn, Rhimes et al

"Quicker feet Daph!" Anthony calls out, as she spars with Alice on a Tuesday afternoon. "Good. Good!"

She's locking into it now, that zone where all she thinks about is her next move, when the training session is interrupted by Will coming down the stairs from his office. 

"Good news!" He calls out, jovial.

"Better be good! My sister was kicking your wife's ass!"

"Considering I haven't fought professionally in half a decade, she'd better be if she's going to have her UFC debut this season," Alice retorts.

"Ah my dear wife. I remain as impressed by you as ever. That is not the news, of course."

"What _is_ the news then?" Anthony butts in with his typical impatience.

"The news is" Will takes a breath for drama, Anthony looks ready to kill while Daphne and Alice giggle.

"Daphne _will_ be having her UFC debut this season! I just got off the phone. She has the Cowper fight in December."

"December...that's a Vegas fight!" Daphne exclaims.

"Mmhmm. You're the first fight of the main card."

Alice picks Daphne up and swings her around while Anthony whoops and Will laughs. Even Rose, who followed Will down the stairs in typical silence, cracks a grin.

"I'm going to go get Pippa on the phone to start pulling tapes," he says, once everyone calms down a bit.

"But Mrs. Colson HATES me" Daphne wails as Alice finally puts her down.

"Maybe if you would remember to, I dont know, label your fight recordings accurately , our video analyst wouldn't hate you" Anthony replies cheekily.

Daphne scratches her nose with her middle finger, and Anthony makes to jump into the octagon. 

"Daph your mother is calling" Rose interrupts.

"I suppose she'll want to know the good news" Daphne answers, holding out her hand for the cell.

"And I shall go deal with your interview schedule," Rose says with a nod, handing it over.

She scurried away.

"Mom?"

"Hello Daphne! One day I'm going to actually talk to that assistant of yours. She seems lovely"

"Rose doesn't talk unless she's working. We've been trying for years and even when she does go for drinks with us she's quiet. Anyways. Aren't I lovely?"

"Of course you are dear! Now tell me: any UFC news?"

"Mama, your timing is impeccable. Will just told us I have the first fight on the December main card."

"That is wonderful dear! Congratulations!"

"Thank you Mama. I should get back to training if I want to be ready."

"Of course dearest. I really just called to remind you and Anthony about family dinner this Friday night. Train well, and I love you."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. Love you too Mama."

Daphne hangs up the phone and turns to Anthony.

"If you miss family dinner this Friday, she's going to blame me. Do not. Miss. Family dinner. This Friday."

Anthony holds up his hands as if in surrender and catches the phone Daphne tosses his way.

"Ready?" Alice asks as Daphne returns to the middle of the matter.

"Ready."


	2. Chapter 2

The last week of September and the entirety of October go by in a blur of training, interviews, and the occasional family event. Daphne spends even more hours in the ring, watches enough tape to finally feel comfortable calling Mrs. Colson "Pippa", and occasionally calls a sibling between dinners to commiserate about training schedules. There's also the running group chat where they all post their most impressive bruises. Once, Alice and Rose convince her to go to the movies for some period drama. Mostly though, Daphne trains and trains and trains.

This rhythm is broken the second week of November, once again by Will coming down the stairs from his office.

"They've announced Friedrich Prussian's opponent."

"Who?" Rose demands even before Daphne, looking up from her ever-present tablet.

"The Duke."

There's a moment of silence.

"Simon?" Anthony says, "but he hasn't fought in over a year!"

"He still holds the title" Will replies, "and apparently he's decided to defend it."

"This December?"

"This December."

"Where will he be training?" Alice asks, ever practical.

"I don't know where he's been training, but he'll be back here tomorrow. He just texted me; Anthony you should probably check your phone."

Anthony does, eyebrows raising when he sees that he does in fact have a text from his former teammate. It is, in typical Simon Basset fashion, brief. Anthony reads it out loud.

"Know you're busy with your sister. Help an old friend as well?"

Silence reigns, broken, unexpectedly, by Rose.

"All of the fight pages are blowing up. I need to handle this, make sure Daphne doesn't get totally overshadowed. If Simon is coming back tomorrow, we need to make her part of his story and vice versa. We can't let her be totally lost in the shuffle."

She hurries away, phone already moving to her ear.

"Well." Daphne says, "Alice, I want to try that combination again and then work on grappling as we discussed earlier. Duke or no Duke, I have a debut in three weeks and one way to avoid being overshadowed will be to win."

A grin flickers across Alice's face, and she puts her padded hands back up.

* * *

Fuck but he's hot. 

Daphne hasn't seen Simon since the Olympics and she's quite frankly forgotten just how good looking he is. Granted, she was rrlatively young in Rio, but even then she could tell he was handsome. Also, a jackass.

Fuck but he's a jackass.

Daphne's had her ring time, conditioning days, everything set since mid-September when she first found out she was getting the Vegas fight. Here comes Simon Basset though, titlest, demanding the world bow to his whims.

Will tries to be accommodating, but Daphne knows that Simon gets priority. A title fight vs. a debut? That's not a contest when only one person can be using the best heavy bag at a time and Basset seems to be going out of his way to need it at the same time as her.

The media has started showing up more often too, and Rose does her damndest to get them to talk to Daphne. There's nothing like the allure of a homecoming hero though. Especially when that homecoming hero is notoriously private.

It would be so much easier to hate him for it if he wasn't shirtless five steps away, occasionally offering criticisms of her technique (she _knows_ she could get an extra half inch out if her left, ok? She's _working_ on it.) while some how managing to make "sweating like a pig" look good. Fuck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed my oopsie in the last chapter lol, "write drunk edit sober" strikes again.
> 
> (And yes, both bridgerton parents are alive and absolutely have famous athletes for them to be based on in mind. Ill drop hints.)

As if Simon invading her gym time and press space wasn't enough, now he's showing up at the house. Violet had evidently been in the background while Anthony and Edmund were catching up over FaceTime one night. Once she heard her eldest son's old friend was back, he had been promptly invited to family dinner. How she ended up seated next to him, Daphne had no idea.

"Simon, what made you come back?" Hyacinth demanded.

"If he hasn't told ESPN he's not going to tell you!" Gregory snarked in return before Simon could say a word.

"Yes, because ESPN is always a _perfect_ news source" came the retort. "Right dad?" She asked turning to Edmund.

"Well they're signing my paychecks now," he remindrd his youngest daughter with a laugh.

Hyacinth harumphs while Gregory raises his hands in a victory gesture. Throughout this conversation, Simon himself has stayed quiet.

"It really doesn't matter why Simon is back." Violet says, "he is, and he's welcome in this house for as long as he is around. To his return, and Daphne's debut"

They raise all raise their glasses, but Daphne feels a twinge of anger. Ever in her home, it seems, she comes second.

This thought is still with her a few days later when she arrives at the gym to, once again, find Simon on the exact machine she needs. 

"For fuck's sake, can you read a schedule?" 

Simon finishes his set and then looks at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Afraid not. This sport has caused some head trauma."

Daphne bites back the wry smile that tries to appear in response.

"Anthony gets on just fine."

"Anthony quit while he was ahead."

"So did you if I recall correctly. "

"And now I'm back."

"And now you're on the machine I need, taking up my column inches, and invading my family home!" Daphne exclaims, her frustration boiling over.

"And now I'm training for the biggest fight of my life! So yes. I am going to take up space at this gym." Simon responds, unflappable as ever and returning to his reps.

Daphne collects her thoughts while trying not to watch his muscles flex.

"Has it ever occurred to you," she begins, "that this is thus far the biggest fight of my life, and if it doesn't go well I may not get another?"

Simon cocks his head.

"Fine. I shall mention you in interviews, as your Rose has been pestering me about. Are you content?"

"Not nearly. You've delayed my workout. But I suppose it will do for now."

"Well that was my last set so I'll stop interfering I suppose."

"Generous of you," Daphne replies.

Simon reracks his weights, then wipes down the machine while Daphne puts hers on. They don't speak, but their bodies move around each other comfortably and something in Daphne relaxes slightly. Perhaps they will make it through to December to fight their intended opponents instead of each other.

"You really could get more out of your left you know. It's just a mental block holding you back. I'd expect better from Anthony's sister.

Perhaps they won't.


	4. Chapter 4

"Simon, you've been mentioning Daphne Bridgerton quite a lot lately. Is there something going on there?"

Daphne bites back a groan. Her and Rose's plan to hitch her star to Simon's during interviews has certainly gotten her more attention. Just...not quite the type they had hoped.

"Are you working for People Magazine now Ed?" Simon replies without missing a beat.

The rest of the reporters at the Mondrich's Gym press conference titter.

"Daphne has generously shared her training space and her coach with me, and I look forward to sharing the card with her next week."

"Daphne, do you agree?" Someone else shouts.

"While it was certainly an adjustment at first, Simon has been an asset as I train for my UFC debut." She answers.

Rose nods approvingly from her place off to the side, and the joint interview concludes shortly after. Next Anthony has his turn in the hot seat with Will and Alice for backup, then there's a tour of the gym, and a photo op, and finally everyone clears out. 

Daphne and Simon are left collapsed on a bench, exhausted. Despite the truce that has built between them since Daphne confronted him, they still haven't been alone together since. Somewhat ironic, considering that Ed certainly hasn't been the first one to insinuate that the gym isn't the only place they get sweaty together. In a comfortable silence like this, Daphne gets why.

She stands from the bench, rolling her shoulders to work out some tension. Simon watches her, lackadaisical.

"Good?" He asks

"Yeah. The usual." She hesitates. "Thank you, by the way. I know you weren't expecting comments on your love life when you agreed to help me in interviews"

Simon shrugs still seated. "Honestly, I prefer those to questions about coming out of retirement. Easier to answer."

There's a moment then where Daphne considers asking. Anthony and Will are as tight-lipped about it as Simon himself, so she hasn't been able to learn anything from them. But asking would break their truce, so Daphne just says "glad we can help each other." And heads to the locker room

A hand on her shoulder stops her.

"Thank you." Simon says, looking uncomfortable. "For-"

Daphne puts him out of his misery. "You're welcome"

They walk down the hallway together. At some point, Simon's hand slides around to her other shoulder.

When they reach the end of the hallway, where the doors to the men's and women's locker rooms face each other, they detangle. Daphne's back is to her locker room door, and she's not sure how Simon got this close.

"Simon," she says.

"Daphne! Daphne! We need to go, we have El's event this evening! And have you seen Simon? Mother invited him."

Simon vanishes into the men's locker room as Anthony comes around the corner. Daphne takes a deep breath, suggests texting Simon, and pops into her changing room to grab her bag.

**Author's Note:**

> This is what happens when I watch a romance series and fight night within 24 hours y'all


End file.
